These are the stories of five key
ministers of the 18th and 19th
centuries who changed the whole spirit
of the Church of England – and whose
influence is still seen today. People
today are frantically searching for
security and are increasingly not
finding it in a material philosophy
where other people dictate to us. A
church that hopes to transform this
society needs to look to those who
were enabled to perform the same task
in a similar era. Each one of these
men was associated with Oxford whilst
proving their mettle as spiritual
leaders. Each one kept alive and added
to the passionate flame of a
remarkable line of influential church
leaders. No lesser authority than J.C.
Ryle placed George Whitefield (1714-
1770) as the foremost Christian leader
of the 18th century. He, in turn,
passed the torch to John Newton (1725-
1807). Newton was as a spiritual
father to Thomas Scott (1747-1821) and
Richard Cecil (1748-1810) and they in
turn were the spiritual guides to
Daniel Wilson (1778-1858). Wilson
launched a missionary emphasis still
seen today in Oxford churches. What
this book helps us understand is that
the situation that prevailed when
these men influenced their society is
similar to that of today. If we want
to change the world then their stories
could inspire us to do just that.